Sunday, October 09, 2011

Art Therapy

After experiencing 10 days of Seattle under Logo's tour guiding ability I am convinced she missed her calling. Before I came she asked what sorts of things I was interested in and came up with a tentative and flexible schedule of things to see and do. She asked if it looked good. I said it looked great except for the part where I only got two hours at the Seattle Art Museum. She assured me it's all the time she needed when she went there and I reminded her she has regular, frequent access. On the other hand, I was suffering from severe art deficiency and would require more. She thought maybe I was kidding until I told her I'd only been to two art museums in the last 5 years. She then agreed this was a dire situation.

Here then are some of my favorite bits are art from SAM and other venues. One of the things I loved about Seattle was the proliferation of art in incidental places.

What should be in one of the first galleries but a piece of tie dye work on exhibit. So for all the haters out there.....tie dye is art! Woohoo!

This was a watercolor scroll depicting a Chinese banquet. Only part of it was unrolled and the detail of what was revealed made me want to see the rest of it, not to mention how it made me hungry.

Trees speak to me. This was a detail of a large aboriginal tube intended as an ossuary.

I was anxious to see some art from among the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. SAM had a lovely collection but this mask was among my favorite items.

This was a west African gourd bowl of some sort. I loved the colors and textures. The exhibit label said they weren't sure what its intended purpose was and they welcomed input from visitors. You just KNOW how tempted I was to offer some goofy meme-ish explanation...

Seattle is known for art glass and the museum had a nice little collection. Logo loves glass too so I told her she needs to come east so I can take her to the glass museum on Corning, NY.

Moving on to the Islamic world I loved the intricate details of this pen and ink set.

This rendering of the Last Supper by Rubens just spoke to my soul. I've never been a great fan of Da Vinci's version because it's not how I pictured that moment in my own head from reading the Biblical account. This much more closely aligns with my imagination. The intimacy of that meal seems so evident here and I just love the use of light.

This coat was constructed entirely of dog tags. It was kind of a moving thing to consider. The painting to the left was also a pretty profound work in my opinion. It was called Loser + Clark and was a commentary on the effects of western expansion.

One of the very cool things about Seattle is how much artwork is all over the city. Yes, I know I can go to any city and see statues and such but in Seattle it seems more commonplace, more accessible, and less pretentious. In my mind that makes it more wonderful and more easily appreciated. Manhole covers were an example. Yes, I drew a few giggles for taking pictures of manhole covers but look at that....it's way groovier than standard issue manhole covers.

And check out this light fixture on a wall near the market. How cool is that?

One afternoon Susie and I went to the Olympic Sculpture Garden. It was pretty blustery and rainy so we didn't linger too much but we were there long enough to spot a Freak in the Box.

I gotta say, some things considered art I don't get. Susie and I agreed this one didn't make a lot of sense. It just looked like some sailor forgot some ropes.

This was one of my favorites. It's supposed to represent ships. I got yelled at by a docent for touching it when I tried to peek out from behind one of them in kilroy fashion.

And although it was rainy it would seem that in Seattle even the rain is art!

I like the depth perception that Rubens rendered in his painting. The octagonal frame gives the impression of peering at a window, into the upper room... into that historical, holy and intimate event.Everything... the fancy picture frame, the extravagant clothes and furnishings, speaks to the reverence that the Roman Catholic Church wanted to express. That concept is easily observed in many RC churches' attire, and architecture (and more) even today. Though not realistic, there is a larger-than-life quality in such an interpretation that I appreciate.

I would have loved to have been there! Great stuffs here, er... there.One of the things that has always frustrated me about art is how little of it can be touched! Art comes from all of our senses, including touch. As for your ships outside. I don't get the no touching rule. It gets rain, snow, sun and wind for heaven's sake. There is no fence around it. I'm guessing its made of metal and will eventually suffer rust and decay.But then, I think that jungle gyms are great examples of art.